


no evil for the blind

by 30026401



Category: The Last of Us
Genre: (and im freeballing this), Angst, Father-Daughter Relationship, Fluff, but very minor, joel tries
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-03-25
Updated: 2017-03-25
Packaged: 2018-10-10 15:28:11
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 531
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10440915
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/30026401/pseuds/30026401
Summary: Ellie continues to strike a cord within Joel's old heart.





	

“C’mon, you can just teach me.”

“Ellie,” he sighed.

“No I’m serious!” She insisted. “What could these people know that you don’t? They’re all been stuck in these fences. Anything I need to know I can learn from you.”

Joel stared back at her, overtaken by the vehemence in her tone. Second ticked by and he said nothing. Ellie turned away.

She’s frustrated, Joel thought lamely, he should be to comforting her. But he couldn’t. There was a growing tightness in him that went deeper than his muscles. Her words were repeating in his mind. Her tone had been dismissive, and she hadn’t even been looking at him when she said it but Joel was suddenly fixated.

He looked down at her as she stood with her back to him, foot scuffing harmlessly against the walls of the school building. She didn’t understand what she’d said, did she? Why should she? Joel was wrestling with an insecurity that he was looking too deeply into her simple statement.

_Anything I need to know I can learn from you._

Joel knew he should contradict her. It wasn’t true. There were things he didn’t know, knowledge out there that other’s could teach her better than him. Things that might save her life one day. What did he know about history or… art or whatever they’d teach her. There was so much blind trust in her words that Joel simultaneously wanted to shelter this glimmer of innocence by proving her right and to viciously shake that naivety out of her for her own good.

He couldn’t though. He remembers the way young children idolize their parent. He remembers Sarah, and her trust in him and all he was: a young man with only a high school education and a small house and a simple job and a daughter.

But Ellie was not Sarah. She was older than Sarah in so many ways that Joel didn’t believe she had the innocence left to feel the blinding trust and idolization most children experience at least for a while. He hadn’t known Ellie felt this way, had been more than satisfied and happy with what he’d thought they’d had. But now that he knew there was more he couldn’t be the one to ruin it.

He muttered something about school being what kids do, but his heart wasn’t in it. Joel couldn’t stop thinking about what it would be like too let Ellie really be a kid, to be trusted like this again.

He’d been so worried. Had Ellie suspected he’d lied to her? Had he made a mistake?

She turned around, eyes already rolling. “But I already went to school,” she argued. “C’mon, you know I’m right. This is just bullshit, Joel.”

Joel looked her in the eyes. _I swear_ , he’d lied. He thought about her eyes: wide, expectant, and pleading. He thought maybe he’d broken her trust.

“Fine.”

Ellie perked up, her eyes, not uncertain and pleading but excited, wide with the surprise that he’d given in. “Shit, seriously? I don’t have to go?”

“No,” he shook his head. He tried to smile. “Like you said. I can teach you anything you need to know, right?”


End file.
